Jackson family eager to cash in after $217M…
After a record-smashing $217 million opening weekend for biopic “Michael” at the box workplace, the Jackson family have burst back into the highlight — and are intent on taking middle stage.
The musical family see the film as the final word validation of Michael, who died all of the sudden in 2009 while rehearsing a comeback tour, and a great alternative.
“The success of this movie didn’t just bring Michael back,” one family source told The Post. “It brought all of them back. The phones are ringing again, the invites are coming again, and the family knows exactly what this moment is.”
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in a still from the biopic “Michael” which surpassed its anticipated box workplace opening of $60 million to take $217 million in a single weekend. ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection
(L-R) Prince Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Jaafar Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, and Marlon Jackson at the “Michael” screening in Gary, Indiana, just before the movie’s release on April 13. Getty Images
The film itself was a family affair, with Michael’s nephew, Jaafar, enjoying his uncle and his eldest son, Prince, as an govt producer. His property was also instrumental in bringing the film to the screen.
Their guess that a feelgood film about Michael’s profession highs would seize the public’s consideration, after years of accusations and lurid hypothesis around him abusing youngsters, paid off.
“For a long time, everything around Michael felt heavy. Now it’s light again. It’s a celebration, and the family is enjoying every second of it,” another insider said.
Renewed discussions about a Jackson family tour are already underway, with efforts to embrace Michael’s youthful sister, Janet, as headliner.
Sources say La Toya, Rebbie, Jermaine, Jackie, and Marlon are already dedicated, and if the property permits for it, they’ll identify the tour “Thriller.”
“Michael” director Antoine Fuqua with Jaafar giving direction during filming of the film. ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection
Ironically, for those who noticed the film, Michael was never ready to tour his groundbreaking 1982 “Thriller” album as his controlling father, Joseph Jackson, pressured him to do the “Victory” tour with his brothers instead.
The film’s persevering with success is also a boon to the family financially, as many members have been introduced in as govt producers — besides for Janet and Randy, who both selected not to take part. Insiders say the full payout reached effectively into the seven figures.
“They were paid, and they were paid well. The estate made sure of that because they wanted the family involved and aligned,” said the insider. Planning for the movie’s next chapter is also underway.
“[Studio] Lionsgate and the Jackson Estate haven’t made a definitive decision yet, but the family is supportive as long as the project is executed properly and the false allegations against Michael are not given excessive attention,” said a source.
Janet Jackson, pictured in 2025, has so far declined to be concerned in the film, but could return to the family fold for a tour with her brothers and sisters. Getty Images
The materials is already there. Director Antoine Fuqua has said there’s “absolutely” enough footage for a follow-up — including components of Michael’s life the first movie didn’t contact. Roughly 30% of what might turn into a second movie is already in the can, according to insiders.
By most accounts, the first movie already leaned closely on Michael’s most highly effective music catalog — the Jackson 5 years through his 1988 “Thriller” album. What’s left comes with far more sophisticated territory.
“They know they used a lot of the music people came to hear already,” a family source said. “So now it’s about telling the story differently — deeper, more personal — without losing what made the first one work.”
The Jackson brothers pictured around 1970, with father Joe Jackson (middle). From Left: Jackie, Tito, Marlon, Jermaine, Michael (proper), and Randy. Michael Ochs Archives
The property and filmmakers are reluctant to sort out Jackson’s 2005 trial in California on 14 counts, including youngster molestation and offering alcohol to a minor, prices he was unanimously acquitted of, The Post has realized.
They would also like to keep away from the controversial Martin Bashir interview that preceded his 2003 arrest, with insiders saying one thought that’s been mentioned is ending a second movie earlier — around 2001.
That second provides them a clean touchdown level: Jackson’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, adopted by his return to the stage at Madison Square Garden where other superstars like Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Usher, NSYNC, Luther Vandross, Liz Taylor, Marlon Brando, and Britney Spears all carried out in a salute to Michael on September 7 and 10 of 2001.
Sources say the next movie is also anticipated to lean closely into Michael’s personal life — including his marriages to Elvis Presley’s only daughter, Lisa Marie, and later to his nurse, Debbie Rowe, who gave start to Michael’s oldest son, Prince, and his only daughter, Paris. The mom of his second son, Bigi, has never been publicly divulged.
Michael’s sons Prince (left) and Bigi (proper) paying homage to their father’s type at a premiere for the film in Germany not too long ago. Getty Images for Universal Pictures
Lisa Marie’s inclusion could possibly be important as Michael publicly admitted his attraction to her dated back to the early Nineteen Eighties when she was a teenager. Including Presley and Shields would also help depict Jackson as romantically linked to a females, sources said.
Insiders also imagine a second movie will body a lot of the period from 1988 onward through Michael’s own phrases — his repeated statements about not having a childhood and his deep need to have youngsters of his own, a theme that carried through his relationships, including his marriage to Rowe.
Such emotional threads hint back to Michael’s earliest close bonds — including his long friendship with Brooke Shields and his deeply personal relationship with Elizabeth Taylor, one of the few people he trusted fully. Sources say Taylor’s affect and assist will probably be a key emotional anchor in the second movie, including how she stood by him publicly and privately during tough durations.
Randy Jackson (left) has also declined to be half of the film and tour so far. He is pictured with Michael in 1983. Getty Images
“Elizabeth was family to him,” a source said. “Not Hollywood family — real family. He leaned on her, cried on her shoulders and she never left his side.”
Insiders recalled Michael’s over-the-top generosity toward Taylor, including shopping for her costly jewellery and sending staffers across the world — even to locations like Switzerland — to monitor down items he thought she would love.
“He adored her,” another source said. “If he saw something she might like, he had to get it. It didn’t matter where it was or what it cost.”
The music will still carry the movie. Sources say the sequel will lean into Jackson’s global dominance during the period of his 1991 “Dangerous” album and tour, which proved his attain worldwide — along with a return to his historic 1993 Super Bowl efficiency, a landmark show, which set the template for all halftime reveals since.
Michael performing in Texas in 1991, when he was the most important act on the planet, at the height of his touring powers. WireImage
“They’re going to remind people just how big he was,” another source said. “Those performances, those interviews — that’s the foundation. That’s what people connect to.”
And while the allegations that reshaped Michael’s later life stay half of the timeline, sources say the plan is to strategy them without naming accusers and focus on Jackson defending himself publicly.
“They’re not ignoring that it happened,” a source said. “But they’re not going to re-live it the way people expect.”
Sources say Jackson’s property invested close to $150 million in the first movie, but with it on monitor to cross the $1 billion mark, they’re virtually sure to helm the comply with up.
“Most of the family is completely behind a second film, a third film,” the source added. “The family is going to ride that for as long as they can. To borrow a phrase [from Michael], they ‘won’t stop till they get enough,’ and this family never gets enough.”
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